Yarn winding apparatus



Oct. 6, 1970 J. D. TOUSSAINT YARN WINDING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 11, 1968 H mm m INVENTOR United States Patent 3,532,279 YARN WINDING APPARATUS Joseph D. Toussaint, Rheden, Gelderland, Netherlands, assignor to American Enka Corporation, Enka, N.C., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 11, 1968, Ser. No. 782,982 Claims priority, application Netherlands, Dec. 14, 1967, 6717000 Int. Cl. B65h 54/28 US. Cl. 242-431 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for Winding yarn which comprises a bobbin for winding yarn into a package, and a driven traverse device positioned adjacent to the bobbin. The traverse device has two rotatable concentric traverse elements, each provided with yarn guides disposed obliquely to its axis of rotation. The yarn guides circumferentially extend along an approximately zig-zag path and comprise at least two yarn reciprocating sections. The yarn guides which cooperate pairwise cross each other and the elements synchronously rotate in opposite directions to provide a traverse reciprocal motion to the yarn wound on to the bobbin.

The invention relates to an apparatus for the winding of fibrillary products, especially yarn, on to a bobbin and more particularly to a winding apparatus having a driven traverse device which is positioned close to the bobbin and which has guide means located on rotatable traverse elements for effectin a reciprocating traverse motion to the yarn and to the yarn package formed on the apparatus.

A similar type of winding apparatus is known. In the known apparatus traversing of the yarn takes place with the aid of a slotted cylinder. The cylinder is divided by means of a helically shaped slit into two cylinder halves that are capable of synchronous rotation in the same direction. However, the known apparatus has been found less suitable for use at increasingly high traversing and winding speeds. In such cases, the forces applied to the yarn by the known apparatus become relatively great, and may lead to intolerable damage to the yarn. An additional disadvantage of traversing the yarn with the known slotted cylinder is that during the forward stroke the yarn is in contact with the guide edge of the one cylinder half and during the backward stroke with the guide edge of the other cylinder half. This operation not only causes the yarn to :be subjected to undesirable forces but it may also lead to the package formed having a shape that is unsuitable for various purposes.

Advantageously, this invention provides an apparatus which does not show these drawbacks. Thus, this invention contemplates an apparatus for winding fibrillary products, especially yarn, on to a bobbin which comprises a bobbin for winding a yarn into a package, a driven traverse device positioned adjacent to the bobbin, said traverse device having two rotatable concentric traverse elements each of which is provided with yarn guides that are disposed obliquely to the axis of rotation of said elements, the yarn guides of each element circumferentially extend along an approximately zig-zag path and comprise at least two yarn reciprocating sections; the yarn guides of said elements which cooperate pairwise being arranged to cross each other and said elements being mounted for synchronous rotation in opposite directions whereby said yarn guides cooperate to provide a traverse reciprocal motion to the yarn being wound on to said bobbin. This arrangement makes it possible for the yarn, which is axially traversed or reciprocated across the bobbin, to be invariably positioned at the point where the two cooperating guides cross each other so that in operation of the apparatus the yarn will travel in continuous contact with the two guides. In this way there is obtained a very satisfactory and play-free guiding of the yarn, whereby high traversing speeds will no longer give rise to yarn damage, and the resulting yarn package is properly shaped.

In a preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the inveition the guides of each traverse element comprise two yarn reciprocating sections which circumferentially extend along a zig-zag path, so that when unrolled on a plane the guides are substantially W-shaped. In this embodiment the yarn is guided through the center of the two concentric traverse elements and is reciprocated twice during each revolution of these synchronously and oppositely rotating elements. This simple embodiment allows the diameter of the traverse device and each of the two elements to be relatively small, so that at high traversing and winding speeds the circumferential speed of these elements remains relatively low. This has a favorable influence on both the treatment of the yarn during the winding process and the shape of the package. Moreover, the yarn passing through the concentric elements is not subject to variations in length, so that the traversing does not give rise to variations in yarn tension. This, too, has a favorable influence on the package build-up.

Moreover, the yarn guiding of the apparatus of this invention shows a relatively low sensitivity to variations in thickness, unevenness and irregularity of the yarn to be processed. This characteristic of the apparatus will also improve both the quality of the spooled yarn and the package build-up, and the number of yarn types that can be processed on one and the same winding apparatus is increased.

The satisfactory thread guiding of the apparatus according to the invention is improved even further when it is characterized in that the cooperating guides of the two elements cross each other at an angle of approximately For certain applications the apparatus according to the invention may with advantage be so constructed that of each traverse element the zig-Zag guides comprise a multiple of two yarn reciprocating sections. If with this embodiment the guides of each element comprises, for instance, four yarn reciprocating sections, then they will be substantially arranged in a WW-shape when unrolled on a plane. With this embodiment, too, the yarn passes through the center of the two concentric elements and is reciprocated four times during each revolution of the synchronously and oppositely rotating elements.

The apparatus according to the invention may be of a very eflicacious construction when it is characterized in that the traverse elements are formed by concentric drums which fit together at their free and open ends, and the zigzag guides are formed in the wall surface of each of the cylinders at the free ends thereof.

It has surprisingly been found that the ends or edges of the package to be wound can be considerably improved, when the apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that the distance between a peak and the adjacent troughs of the zigzag profile of the guides of each element is larger than the distance between a neighboring peak and its adjacent troughs.

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows an elevational view of the winding apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 2 in a perspective view of the arrangement of two cooperating W-shaped drums used to form the traverse device of the winding apparatus;

FIG. 3 shows an arrangement in which the W-shaped drums are turned through an angle of 90 relative to the positions shown in FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4 and 5, schematic representations, show guiding of the yarn between portions of the crossing guides during the forward and backward strokes of the yarn in the traverse device or mechanism of the winding apparatus;

FIGS. 6 to 9 are views showing guiding of the yarn between the crossing guides of the W-shaped drums, with the guides being positioned at different relative distances and the drums being unrolled on a plane;

FIG. 10 shows another embodiment of the winding apparatus thus according to the invention; and

FIG. 11 shows a modified embodiment of the traverse device.

In FIG. 1 a yarn 1 is, in the direction indicated by the arrow, supplied from a zone (not shown) in which it may, successively, have been spun and drawn. By way of two guide bars 2 and 3, which are spaced some distance apart, the yarn 1 enters a traverse device which is designated by reference numeral 4 and which is substantially comprised of two concentric drums 5 and 6 that are capable of synchronous rotation in opposite directions. The yarn 1 travels through the center of the drums 5 and 6, and at the point where it leaves the traverse device there are provided two yarn guide bars 7 and 8. After passing between the bars 7 and 8, the yarn is wound into a package 9 on a cylindrical bobbin 10 which is mounted for rotation on an arm 12 that is pivot-mounted on support 11. As shown, the axis of the bobbin is parallel to the axis of the traverse device. The package 9 is contactdriven at a constant speed by a cylindrical roller 13 which is rotated by a drive mechanism (not shown).

In the traverse device 4 the yarn 1 is reciprocated in the axial direction of the drums 5 and 6, and the forming yarn package 9 is given a width that is equal to the length of the traverse stroke of the yarn. FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views of the drums 5 and 6 with the yarn 1 passing therebetween. The drums 5 and 6 rotate in the directions indicated by the arrows 14 and 15, respectively. At their closed ends 16 and 17, respectively, the drums 5 and -6 are (in the direction indicated by the arrows) driven by a mechanism which includes shafts 18 and 18 and which is in synchronism with gear means (not shown). The drum surfaces at the closed ends thus form a closed cylinder.

The outer diameter of the inner drum 5 is a little smaller than the inner diameter of the outer drum 6, so that at their free and open ends the concentric drums 5 and 6 fit together. The inner drum 5 is provided at its free end with crossing yarn guides 19 which are disposed obliquely to the shaft 18 and which circumferentially extend along a zig-Zag path. The yarn guides 19 comprise two yarn reciprocating sections, so that when unrolled on a plane the guides are approximately W-shaped. In this manner, two peaks and two troughs are formed on the drum. The outer drum 6 also is provided at its free end with crossing guides 20 that are disposed obliquely to the shaft 18' and which, when unrolled on a plane, are approximately W-shaped.

When the apparatus is in operation, the yarn 1 is reciprocated in the axial direction of the drums 5 and 6 by two cooperating portions of the guides 19 and 20, the portions shown in the drawing crossing virtually or practically perpendicular to each other. It will be appreciated that the guides 19 and 20 together form the yarn guide means of the traverse device.

In FIG. 2 the yarn 1 is traversed in the direction indicated by the arrow 21. FIG. 3 shows an arrangement in which the drums 5 and 6 are turned through an angle of 90 relative to the position shown in FIG. 2, with the yarn being traversed in the direction indicated by the arrow 22. The engaging portions of the drums 5 and 6 (i.e. the portions forming the guides) can in practice have a wall thickness of one or more millimeters, and the mag- 4 nitude of the traverse stroke may be, for instance, 100 millimeters.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show the guiding of the yarn 1 between the crossing guides 19 and 20 during the reciprocating movement caused by the traverse mechanism, with the guides shown partially unrolled on a plane.

For the purpose of further understanding the apparatus according to the invention, FIGS. 6, 7, 8 and 9 show the W-shaped guides 19 and 20 entirely unrolled on a plane and in four consecutive relative angular positions of the drums 5 and 6 with like elements being indicated by like reference numerals, and with D representing the diameter of the traverse device 4.

FIG. 6 shows the relative positions of the upper and lower portions of yarn 1 which are in contact with the upper and lower circumferential portions of guides 19 and 20 in an angular position of the device similar to that shown in FIG. 2. The next consecutive position of the yarn 1 is illustrated in FIG. 7. FIG. 8 shows the relative position of the yarn and the traverse device on a plane in an angular position similar to that shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 9 illustrates the position of the yarn as the traverse device continues to move the yarn toward the left.

FIG. 10 represents another embodiment of the winding apparatus according to the invention and shows how a number of yarn packages may be wound in side-by-side arrangement; with like parts also being indicated by like reference numerals. With a single shaft 23 running the length of the machine and connected to appropriate transmission elements 24 a number of inner drums 5 can be driven. A number of outer drums 6 may likewise be driven by a shaft 25 with transmission elements 26. Also, it will be noted that shaft 18, driven by shaft 23, rotates drum 6 of the preceding adjacent traverse device and that shaft 18, driven by shaft 25, rotates the drum 5 of the next succeeding traverse device. It should be added that in the winding apparatus shown in FIG. 10 the drive of the traversing drums 5 and 6 is coupled with that of the bobbins by known apparatus (not shown); the coupling being such that the ratio between the number of revolutions per minute of the bobbin and the number of cycles per minute of the traverse device is kept constant throughout the winding process.

FIG. 11 shows a modified embodiment of the traversing drums 5 and 6, with like parts being referred to by like reference numerals. In this case, the distance 27 between the peak 28 and its adjacent trough 29 is approximately 3% larger than the distance 30 between the peak 3-2 and its adjacent trough 31. This embodiment will ensure that the yarn packages are better shaped at their ends.

It will be appreciated that within the scope of the invention various changes and modifications may be made by one skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for winding fibrillary products, especially yarn, on to a bobbin Which comprises a bobbin for winding a yarn into a package, a driven traverse device positioned adjacent to the bobbin, said traverse device having two rotatable concentric traverse elements each of which is provided with yarn guides that are disposed obliquely to the axis of rotation of said elements, the yarn guides of each element circumferentially extend along an approximately zig-zag path and comprise at least two yarn reciprocating sections, the yarn guides of said elements which cooperate pairwise being arranged to cross each other and means for synchronously rotating said elements in opposite directions whereby said yarn guides cooperate to provide a traverse reciprocal motion to the yarn being wound on to said bobbin.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the cooperating guides of the two elements cross each other at an angle of approximately 3. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the zig-zag guides on each traverse element comprise a multiple of two yarn reciprocating sections.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the traverse elements are formed by concentric drums which fit together at their free and open ends, and the zig-zag guides are formed in the wall surface of each of the cylinders at the free ends thereof.

'5. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the distance between a peak and the adjacent troughs of the zig-zag profile of the guides on each element is larger than the distance between a neighboring peak and its adjacent troughs.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 in which the distance between a peak and the adjacent troughs of the zig-zag profile is from approximately 3%v to 15% larger than the distance between another peak and its adjacent troughs,

said distance being measured in axial direction of the axis of rotation of the elements.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,975,037 9/1934 Durand 24243.2 2,145,935 2/ 1939 Kinsella 242-43 .2 2,550,086 4/ 1951 Rouge 24243.2 2,739,761 3/ 1956 Haefeli 24243.2 3,004,726 10/ 1961 Kuppers 242--43.2 3,266,740 8/ 1966 Briscoe 242-432 X STANLEY N. GILREATH, Primary Examiner 

